New Arrivals

I've been slacking on the new arrivals posts, so here's a quick run down of everything we've gotten in the last week or so.

New treats from our neighbors to the south:

• Alesmith - Decadence: We got a couple more cases of the Decadence Imperial Porter. The last allotment went quickly, so again I'd implore you to limit yourself to a bottle or two so that as many people as possible can have a chance at tasting it.

• Alesmith - Summer Yulesmith: This imperial IPA is always a staff favorite. It's big and malty for an IPA, but it's no slouch in the hops department. Pine, citrus and minty hop notes highlight the lingering bitter finish and bring you back for more.

• Stone - 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout: The name is almost as much of a mouthful as the beer itself. The 9% abv is well hidden in this jet black, viscous brew, and the only minor complaint I have is that I was expecting a little more creaminess in the mouthfeel from the oats. Other than that, the roasted graininess, coffee flavor, and solid bitter chocolate character kept me entertained for the entire bottle. I'm sure the folks at Stone will question your worthiness, but we won't tell them if you buy a couple bottles.

• Sierra Nevada - Anniversary Ale: The SN Anniversary IPA isn't usually released this early, but the unprecedented sales of their tasty Summerfest lager left holes in the distribution chain that had to be filled. No complaints here, as this crisp, cascade-laden IPA is perfect for warm weather porch sipping. The hop profile on this is almost identical to their Pale, but amplified to show off the sharp citrusy qualities of the cascades.
  

BrewDog arrives in Oregon!

When Stuart Rankin (aka Mike Myers) coined the phrase, "If it's not Scottish, it's crap!" he was almost certainly thinking about beers like this. They're big and bold, and not afraid to show it. Even the labels read like a Scottish version of Stone, proclaiming that the beer is too intense for you, and that you should probably walk away while you can.

BrewDog - The Physics: I haven't had this one yet, so here's what the brewery has to say about it:

A historically accurate beer based on the recipe devised on the 8th of February 2007. Recreated using the finest coloured malts which provide the complex sweet malt character which initially arouses the senses. Like a fine cheese cake the biscuit base has a smooth and creamy layer that both satisfies and entices. Culminating with a delicate fruit topping of blackcurrant and tinges of citrus to refresh the participant, complimented fully by the crisp dry bitter finish.

BrewDog - Punk IPA: I haven't gotten to this one yet either, so here's their description:

A beer of inherent contradiction. This heavy weight of the beer world is strikingly delicate with a white gold appearance. The light fruity aroma dominates the initial confrontation; lychee, kiwi and passionfruit all prevail with subtle nuances of cherry and strawberry. Don’t be fooled however by this smooth medium bodied ale. As it trickles down your throat as this wolf in sheep’s clothing begins to grow teeth. The bite comes as the bitterness builds and endures no matter how hard the malty sweetness of the alcohol tries to tame this ferocious beast.

BrewDog - Hardcore IPA: This won't quite blow your taste buds off like some of the bigger west coast imperials, but it's probably the hoppiest beer I've ever had from the UK. The malt takes a back seat on this ride, providing just enough presence to carry the citrus and tropical fruit hop flavors that keep trying to crawl out of the glass and smack you in the nose.

BrewDog - Riptide Imperial Stout: If BrewDog keeps making it, this brew has the potential to become a classic in the realm of imperial stouts. Rich yet restrained. Aggressive yet smooth. Roasty coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and dark fruity grain flavors all gather harmoniusly on the tongue before spreading out to every corner of the mouth. Also, I believe this is the base beer for their Paradox series of imperial stouts (keep reading), but I don't know for sure.

That brings us to the Paradox series. Having easy access to the distilleries in Scotland has given Brewdog an unmistakable edge when it comes to barrel-aged beers. Not content to settle for generic bourbon or whiskey barrels, they've gone so far as to pick some of the best houses in Scotland and somehow talked them out of their precious barrels. So, what's the difference? While a typical bourbon barrel will generally add some wood, vanilla, and obvious bourbon notes to the brew, aging it in something like a 1970 Glen Grant barrel allows you to really focus on the character of the individual whiskey. It's especially enlightening if you can find a bottle of Caol Lla to pair with the Islay blend, or a bottle of Macallan to pair with it's beery counterpart. Each of the four beers that we've received from this ever-growing series began with the same imperial stout, so even if you don't have access to the various whiskeys I'd suggest gathering a couple friends an eye-opening side-by-side comparison.

BrewDog - Paradox Macallan Batch 011: Aged in a used Macallan cask (which itself was a used sherry cask), this variant is the least whiskey-ish of the four. Polished wood meets slightly cardboardy sherry notes, all wrapped up in a deliciously thick bodied stout.

BrewDog - Paradox Glen Grant Batch 003: While the name Glen Grant may not mean much to most people, Scotchophiles will recognize it instantly. It's the largest-selling single malt in the world, but much of it is used in the production of Chivas Regal, so you don't see the name tossed around as much as say Glenlivet, Dalmore, or Talisker. This version of the Paradox has some smokiness integrated in with the wood and "fresh whiskey" flavors which brings a little more snap to the aroma.

BrewDog - Paradox Speyside Batch 010: This one seemed to have the most whiskey character; a slight salty note (to be expected in a Speyside), a bit of the smokiness to the aroma, and a definite woody component to the finish.

Brewdog - Paradox Islay Batch 001: This one is the peatiest of the bunch, but unfortunately I was pretty deep into a tasting session and my palate wasn't sharp enough at that point for me to pick anything else specific out of it. Note to self: Get a tape recorder so you don't have to try and remember to write things down while sampling a range of huge beers.